The TéMaTé Institute for Black Dance & Culture will host its annual Convening for Dance and Culture in Detroit on October 18–19, 2025, bringing together artists, educators, and community members for a weekend rooted in movement, memory, and tradition. The two-day gathering features workshops, classes, and an evening performance titled Ritual: Rhythms of Life and Legacy, an experience that traces how ritual connects people to land, ancestry, and one another.
Workshops will take place at Andy Art Center, offering Detroiters hands-on classes that merge technique with storytelling. The evening concert, held at the Detroit School of Arts with doors opening at 7:30 p.m., will include choreography, live percussion, vocals, and projection design that frame dance as a form of living history and cultural preservation.
Ajara Alghali, TéMaTé’s artistic director, said Ritual reflects both remembrance and reclamation. “Ritual is memory, reclamation, and community,” she said. “At a time when our histories are being threatened and erased, we are reclaiming space for truth and connection. This convening allows us to bring forward the wisdom of our ancestors, honor the traditions of the African Diaspora, and use dance as a bridge between where we’ve been and where we are going. Detroit deserves spaces like this, where cultural equity is not just discussed, but embodied.”
The performances will feature choreography by Alghali of Detroit, Idy Ciss of Chicago, and Marie Basse Wiles of New York, with creative design by Kennikki Jones-Jones and Lumumba Reynolds. Dances include Djina Foli, a healing ritual of the Bamana people; Tchiwele, which celebrates women’s wisdom; and Senegalese rhythms Kaolack and Thieboujene, rooted in community celebration and resilience.
Throughout the weekend, a vendor marketplace will highlight Detroit artisans and cultural entrepreneurs, reflecting the convening’s commitment to access and local collaboration. After the concert, guests are invited to stay for an open community dialogue on ritual, preservation, and shared responsibility for Detroit’s cultural future.
Aminata Sow, board president of TéMaTé, said the convening holds meaning far beyond the stage. “This platform allows Detroiters and the global Diaspora to come together in a way that feels needed right now,” she said. “We are lifting up traditions that root us while
creating space for new connections across generations. Support from the Gilbert Family Foundation and the Michigan Art and Culture Council amplifies this work, reminding us that cultural preservation and community investment go hand in hand.”
That philosophy has shaped TéMaTé’s work since its founding in 2018. The institute has grown into one of Detroit’s leading cultural organizations preserving and advancing African and Afro-diasporic dance through education, performance, and neighborhood-based programs. From youth workshops to its DigitalJeli archive documenting movement traditions, TéMaTé continues to make cultural access part of everyday life in the city.
Board member and attorney Joy Mohammed sees the convening as both a celebration and a safeguard. “Heritage isn’t only about what came before us. It’s the groundwork for a just and equitable future,” she said. “This convening shows what happens when artistry and transformation meet. It gives our communities visibility and belonging.”
Advisor Subira Walker-Karamoko added that Ritual speaks directly to Detroit’s creative lineage. “Movement keeps memory alive,” she said. “This convening connects people of all ages. Young dancers stand beside elders. Families gather to witness legacy in motion. Ritual honors what came before and empowers the voices of today.”
For TéMaTé, dance is both art and archive — a record of survival, faith, and joy that Detroit continues to embody. The convening’s purpose is not only to perform that history but to live it, reminding the city that culture remains one of its greatest forms of endurance. Tickets and event information are available at tematedance.com/details-schedule.
